Pre-PiBo Day 4: Betsy Devany’s PiBoIdMo Success Story (plus prizes!)

When Tara approached me to do a guest post, I was thrilled. And then I sat down and thought: Oh, dear. How best can I contribute as a pre-published author, who shares her writing room with a life-sized gorilla named Norman and a slew of beloved stuffies?

So I went back through my own PiBoldMo notes/ideas. While I’d followed prior years’ posts, I didn’t officially commit until 2011. I’d spent months revising a number of novels, and I missed working on picture books. Coming up with a new idea(s) every day was like treating myself to a mango/banana smoothie from Cold Stone. I told myself, at the time, that if I actually did that, maybe while enjoying a Love It smoothie, a picture book idea would come to me. I’d have a sparking new voice before I got back home, acting like I had not just gone to Cold Stone and indulged myself, once again.

So with a self-promise to more vigorously support Cold Stone, I took a leap of faith, and added my name to the 2011 PiBoldMo roster.

Every day, I read the guest post. I studied the advice, soaked in the inspiration, and highlighted what spoke to me. I kept a pen and paper nearby at all times. As ideas came, I stretched some further, adding bits of dialogue or notes about conflict. With other ideas, I described the image or images that led to the “light bulb,” all of which seemed to come when I was driving, walking, or paying with my grandkids, i.e. just being silly. Silly like having tea parties with Norman, my granddaughter and seventeen unicorns. Silly like wearing funny glasses and too-small gowns, riding on stick horses while speaking in a British accent. Silly like doing puppet shows in which you act out picture books gone wild. With all of this, I embraced the child within—with my grandkids along for the fun, of course. I do not hold private tea parties for the gorilla, the unicorns, and myself. (Well, okay, I may have done this once.)

Two words of advice: Have fun.

Open your heart and forget what your neighbors might think when they see you dashing through your yard riding a stick pony and shouting, “Yee-haw! Grandma’s gonna wrestle you wild thing!” Ignore their looks when you’re tossing balls to a giant stuffed gorilla. And if your dress-up outfit suggests you’ve forgotten that you’re now a responsible adult, smile and wave. They might even join you! Enjoying-your-life moments take us to the magical place where ideas shift like cotton-candy clouds, all for the taking. Reach out and grab one!

Or . . . you can dice potatoes, because the act of dicing potatoes can also land you in the Magical and Marketable World of Ideas.

On day twenty-four of PiBoldMo 2011, I was doing exactly that, trying to look like I knew the official ins-and-outs of all things potato. It was Thanksgiving, and my daughters, whose adept cooking skills strongly suggest I did not give birth to them, stood there watching me.

“No, Mom. Smaller chunks,” said my youngest.

“Use the other knife, and hold it this way,” said the eldest. “Are you sure you’re our mother?”

“Yes,” I said. Chop, chop, chop.

“I’m shocked that we didn’t starve as children,” said one sister to the other.

“At least I can write,” I said when the “light bulb” went off. “Lucy!” I shouted.

“Who’s Lucy?” asked the youngest. “It’ll be midnight before we’re sitting at the table eating turkey.”

“Lucy . . . she has dolls, all these dolls, and . . .” I swapped the knife for a pen. “One is really smelly and . . .”

“I think those potatoes need attention,” my eldest said, right after she forever-fired me from cooking the annual Thanksgiving dinner. In truth, we took a family vote. And when my eldest said, “Raise your hand if you think we should fire Mom from cooking Thanksgiving dinner from here on out.” My arm slapped the ceiling first.

The vote was unanimous.

“Thank you, PiBoldMo!” I said, fleeing the kitchen in pursuit of this new smelly idea.

While SMELLY BABY seemed to rise from a pot of unevenly diced potatoes, it wasn’t that simple. Ideas latch on to us, long before the switch goes on. And the more you write, the more the ideas come. Which is why my father, who was a published author, always said, “Write every day, but also live and enjoy your life. The ideas will come, when you’re not so busy chasing them.”

SMELLY BABY grew in my subconscious, its seed planted from working in an old-fashioned toy store, where electronic toys don’t exist. Lucy quietly evolved after talking to hundreds of children I’ve met at the store, children who’ve shared stories of their dollies and smelly stuffies. I love these stories—every single one of them. So listen. Listen to what kids say. Sincere interest (and delight) in what children have to say has left me with a tub full of notes and bits of dialogue, all scribbled on tiny slips of paper. It’s my Idea Treasure Chest. “You have to think of your writing as an IRA, and make daily deposits,” my father also loved to tell me. If all those slips of paper had monetary value, I would be a millionaire, though what makes my life rich is writing for children.

By November’s end my 2011 calendar was filled with stars—one for every idea I came up with. It was so much fun, I gave no thought to which ideas might blossom into a marketable story.

And then one did.

Smelly Baby’s story bubbled and boiled. It was a joy to work on. Playing with the words. Roaring at the images the words evoked. Living with these characters that became (and remain) real to me. This little spark of a PiBoldMo idea grew and grew until it gathered enough strength and heart to capture the attention of not only Christy Ottaviano at Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt, but also the renowned illustrator, Christopher Denise, who calls it “laugh out loud funny.” Publication is set for Spring 2016.

In 2011, I also won an original painting by James Burks (the illustrator of Tara’s book THE MONSTORE). Little (PiBoldMo) Monkey hangs on my wall, and reminds me to play every day. Reminds me to mount a red tricycle, even if my legs are too long. It reminds me to trust in myself, and that if I lift my bare feet off the pedals, I won’t fall off.

Can you see the steep hill? See all of us on our tricycles, waiting for Tara to lower the flag? Little Monkey can. He’s waiting to shout, “1-2-3, Go! Go write daily. Reach for those ideas on your way down.” Having bare feet works the best, as does shouting ‘Whee!’ as you catch a new idea.

It’s almost November 1st, so get out your tricycle, your stars, your pen and your paper.

You’re in for a fun ride.

I’ll be waving at you as we coast down the PiBoldMo hill together.

Betsy Devany wrote her first picture book, The Cat Who Ate Green Peas, at the age of nine. While she wishes the self-illustrated manuscript were still in her possession, she is certain that elements of it have found their way into her writing today. Today, she writes picture books, chapter books, middle grade and young adult novels. Her picture book featuring Norman the gorilla won the 2011 Barbara Karlin Grant Runner-up. Betsy has been honored nine times since 2007 in the prestigious writing competition, New Voices in Children’s Literature: Tassy Walden Award. She is honored to work with the lovely Emily van Beek at Folio Literary.

Almost eight years to the month of joining SCBWI, Betsy received her first book contract. Smelly Baby, illustrated by Christopher Denise, is forthcoming from Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt with publication set for Spring 2016.

Not only was this inspirational, it was fun. I loved how excited you became describing making Thanksgiving dinner and getting your idea. That was a laugh-out-loud moment for me. Thanks for reminding me that ideas come when we don’t try so hard AND to have fun. That is what it’s all about.

Great post! Congrats on the soon to be released Smelly Baby. I like the way you explain ideas percolating. As a 1st time nana of a darling 2.5 yr. old, I can relate to the stories/ideas that come from imaginative play.

The title Smelly Baby is a riot! Thanks Betsy for sharing your story – I loved the part about truly – sincerely – listening to and delighting in what children have to say. It made me think of all the times I am only “half-listening” because they have shared their thoughts in the middle of something else I am doing. A wonderful, gentle reminder to be “in the moment,” not only for writing, but life :).

The monkey is great. And I love this— “Having bare feet works the best, as does shouting ‘Whee!’ as you catch a new idea.” I will have to keep that in mind as we take off on our tricycles!
Congratulations on Smelly Baby! It sounds so funny and funny books are my fave!

Betsy, thank you so much for your great post and sharing advice from your wise father! Sometimes we can get so anxious to get to that magical place called published, we forget to enjoy the journey of creation, the part that takes time to simmer and boil and turn into something delicious (like your Thanksgiving dinner after your girls took over). Keep your heart open, look, listen and trust in the wonder of kids and the universe, work at it every day without knowing which day will be THE day the idea that must be written arrives, that is what I hear you saying. Congratulations on Smelly Baby (looking forward to reading it) and for reminding us of all the joy there is to find in the moment if we are willing to get on our little red tricycles and ride.

Hahaha! As the mother of two foodie daughters who have now pretty much taken over Thanksgiving, to the delight of our entire family, I CAN RELATE. Thank you, Betsy–congratulations on Smelly Baby! And thank you Tara, for giving us something better to do than dicing potatoes this month!

Thanks, Betsy! I loved your conversation with your daughters, and how you got your idea for Smelly Baby while dicing potatoes. I’ve got my red tricycle ready! Thanks for encouraging us to get ready for the ride.

Betsy Devany–this blog made me get excited about PiBoIdMo even moreso than I was already! This is my first time signing up, and reading your post gave me goosebumps about getting involved. Thank you for sharing your experiences & congratulations on your book!

I wish you still had the manuscript The Cat Who Ate Green Peas. My granddaughters would get a kick out of it. Congrats on Smelly Baby, and thank you for sharing a bit of you with us. Psst . . . I’m already laughing!

Yay for your debut picture book! I love your thoughts on how to come up with ideas. This is my first time participating in the PiBo challenge, so I’m excited to have fun and hopefully let the ideas flow!

I’m so glad to be hanging on the tree with other nuts! Thanks for permission to be silly and enjoy life despite the busyness. Congrats on Smelly Baby, too! Happy to be a part of PiBoIdMo *love the sound of it, too* 🙂

Wonderful post! Congrads on all your success. Love your thoughts on finding ideas which are everywhere and I won’t forget this post for a long, long, time. Thanks so much! Smelly Baby sounds like so much fun! I can’t wait to buy it.

LOVED the post, Betsy. Your process of snatching ideas out of nowhere, in the midst of chaos sounds very familiar. 🙂 Forcing myself to write never seemed to work. It is, and always needs to be, a fun process. Thanks!

Fantastic post, Betsy! Congratulations on SMELLY BABY — and thank you for all your wonderful, funny advice. Thanks also for bringing to mind my own red tricycle (which was part of my life nearly 55 years ago!) I’m lining up on the start line, ready to yell WHEEEEEEEEE!

ll my ideas always come when i’m in the midst of doing something else, especially if that thing is enjoyable. I’ll take this post as confirmation and will continue to play. Thanks for sharing and Congrats on the book.

That was absolutely amazing, Betsy. Thank you for your encouraging story and wonderful ideas. Just like you, I don’t have my first story I wrote as a kid anymore, I lost everything I cherished and created – drawings, stories, favorite books – when we moved between Aruba and The Netherlands. But there are valuable possessions that stayed with me until this day: my love of writing, illustrating and children’s books. As a first-timer I am excited to find out if PiBoIdMo will bring back some of my childhood creations. Who knows!

Thanks for sharing your amazing journey towards your first picture book. Congratulations, Betsy. You are right about listening to our children. I should keep a recorder with me at all timed to keep record of the fun things my boys come up with.

Your talent was SO evident, there was never a doubt that you would be published! I can’t wait to get my hands on SMELLY BABY, but I REALLY want to read one (all!) of your novels! I hope they’re on there way to our greedy reader hands, too! 🙂

Meanwhile, you actually made me consider doing PiBoIdMo, but I have so much on my plate, I can’t bring myself to commit! *sigh* If I didn’t illustrate, I’d be much more inclined lol

Anyway, thanks for the literal laugh-out-loud-to-tears over this: My youngest gave her sister an uneasy look. “You’re the paramedic. I think Mom needs medical attention.”

I love your photos (you’re SUCH a good photographer), I love your writing (including blog posts http://betsydevany.wordpress.com/ ) and I always love your inspirational, touching words, including this post which, btw, actually made me consider doing PiBoIdMo, but I have so much on my plate, I can’t bring myself to commit! *sigh* If I didn’t illustrate, I’d be much more inclined lol

Congratulations, Betsy! Job well done…both with your first picture book contract AND with this awesome post to get us primed for PiBoIdMo! Each of your ‘tips’ is golden…and I guess, now that we have moved in with our daughter and 5 year old grandson, I have absolutely NO excuse. Jeremy is definitely the best inspiration.:)

Thank you so much for this insightful and encouraging post Betsy. I love the statement “… the more you write, the more the ideas come … Write every day, but also live and enjoy your life. The ideas will come, when you’re not so busy chasing them.”

I was so pleased to read Bety’s blog. I have met her in person and corresponded with her on email. She is every bit as delightful as she comes off in her posting!!!! I loved the story about the chopped potatoes and thanksgiving dinner!!!!

Betsy, thanks more than you could ever know for your post! I’ve just finished writing and illustrating my FIRST book and am wading into the pool gingerly. Sadly my decades of experience as an art director in the ad biz did nothing to prepare me for this second (what I hope will become my new) career! I love your energy and sense of humor, and am so glad I read your post first! I’m diving in!!!

I love your analogy of our ideas as being bank deposits…nothing is wasted. I like to sit at a fast food place for kids and watch them interact. It is amazing the story ideas that pop into my head. Thank you for sharing your writing experience.

Haha! I adore this post! You and your kids remind me of me and mine, about which I write in my weekly column. I felt like I was in the kitchen with you. Wonderful! Many thanks for reminding me that I’m not alone in my zaniness, and for this fabulous critique opportunity!

You are my kinda girl. Now I have to go to the back hall and get my stick pony out. Perhaps she needs a bowl of oats tomorrow before the BIG day begins. I hope you won’t mind if I call her Betsy?
I loved every second of reading your inspiration. (Especially the Thanksgiving scene, lol)
Thanks,
Lynn

I love the reminder to be silly & have fun with our work! As writers who get rejection letters and agonize over sentences and swim in a sea of deadlines, it’s easy to lose the silly side. I’m excited to get mine back this month!

Betsy. Best two word advice ever. Have. Fun.
Thanks for such an encouraging post, and a great kickoff down the the hill for PiBoIdMo. I won’t chop potatoes again without remembering this. Thanks, Damon Dean

Congrats on Smelly Baby. I hope you give us all a heads up when it comes out in ’16. I think we are kindred spirits. I don’t cook, and the little pendulum clock in my office wears Shrek ears. 😉 Thanks for the pep talk.